STRENGTHENING HILLTOWN FAMILIES IN THE LAND OF DIAL-UP

While the highlands may enjoy reliable high-speed Internet access in the near future, local parents cannot wait to meet the needs of their growing children. For Sienna Wildfield, the Internet’s potential for connecting families led her to believe that it could become an invaluable resource for parents in this region, and in the life of her own daughter. With that in mind, Wildfield decided to brave the Highlands’ infamously slow Internet access to create the weblog, Hilltown Families (www.HilltownFamilies.org). Judging by the site’s growth in one year, with more than 33,000 visitors and 150 families subscribing to its newsfeed and email list serve, the need was real.

Wildfield felt isolated when she moved to West Chesterfield five years ago, and worried that her daughter might not have easy access to the physical, social, educational, and creative outlets that are available, but are spread across the sparsely populated area. Luckily, it was all a matter of connecting with those around her. She soon became the Communications and Community Outreach Coordinator of the Cummington Family Center and organized summer and weekend activities. She also brought together families to host information-sharing events. “I must have held 20 pancake breakfasts at my own home alone,” Wildfield recalls. Within three years, 80 families were participating in Family Center events.

When her daughter became school-aged, her mother found few centralized resources available to meet the needs of grade-school children, Sienna started her Hilltown Families blog to fill that void, and it has flourished.

Hilltown Families aims to be inclusive, welcoming families of all compositions and philosophies, and highlighting events in both the Highlands as well as he Pioneer Valley. Families without computers are encouraged to access the site at their local libraries.

Wildfield feels strongly about connecting families with local communities, economies, and landscapes. Every year, the group’s craft bazaar introduces children to local artists and businesses. Recently, Hilltown Families has partnered with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Hampshire and Franklin counties in the distribution of hand-knitted hats to Hilltown children in need. It has also begun an Outdoor Adventures for Kids program in conjunction with Tekoa Mountain Outdoors.

“It’s been an amazing, enriching experience for myself and, I hope, for the community,” says Wildfield. She is not sure what she’ll do when her daughter moves on from grade school. For now, there are plenty of things to keep her busy. “We’re always looking for guest writers on the site,” she hints, reminding everyone that while one person started Hilltown Families, community is what makes it work.

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Welcome to Hilltown Families, an online grassroots communication network for families living throughout the four counties of Western Massachusetts. Hilltown Families believes in creating resilient and sustainable communities by developing and strengthening a sense of place in our children and citizens through community-based education and engagement. We work to accomplish this by highlighting the embedded learning that is found everywhere in our communities, making the information accessible to families, and giving parents/educators access to opportunities that support their children’s interests and education while encouraging community engagement.

Hilltown Families was founded in 2005 by Sienna Wildfield and is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Established in 2005, Hilltown Families has been supporting community-based education through community engagement for over a decade! With your support, we can continue to connect community members of all ages with learning and value-based opportunities throughout the four counties of western Massachusetts! Make a tax-deductible donation to Hilltown Families today! - Hilltown Families is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

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“We try to go to at least one of the Hilltown Families recommended events each weekend to keep our son experiencing new, educational, and community oriented experiences. Hilltown Families supports my interests in education through community engagement by providing a network of families with similar interests in the same area…a sense of belonging to a group that supports my goals and interests.” – Yi-Lo Yu (Southampton, MA)

"Hilltown Families keeps us connected with all the amazing educational and cultural activities and resources that abound here in W. Mass and curates them in a way to let us know just what’s out there for the many varied interests of our young families and communities, while creating networks of support and growth." - Kara Kitchen (Plainfield, MA)

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